A Digital Destiny
by Artemicion
Summary: An AU where Jun is one of the original Digidestined. Follow her through her trials and tribulations as her story unfolds in the struggle she and her friends, the other Digidestined, go through to save the Digital World.
1. Camp

A Digital Destiny   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or any of its characters  
  
A/N: This is and Alternate Universe of the first season of Digimon where Jun is one of the original Digidestined too. Yes, I like Jun. She's actually one of my favorite characters because she just cracks me up. She'll probably be a little out of character, but how am I supposed to know she acted as a kid? Oh well, I took a stab at it.  
  
Chapter 1: Camp  
  
The unforgiving sun blared down on the campgrounds. Kids were running around playing various sports and games. The summer air was filled with laughter and joy. Tai Kamiya decided to ignore it all and wandered away to relax.  
  
He walked over to a tree and climbed onto the branch, welcoming the shade it offered. Once he reached the branch he wanted, he almost lost his balance, but managed to regain it. Unknowingly, he knocked some twigs down.  
  
"Hey!" a voice protested at the bottom. Soft brown eyes glared up at him. "What was that for?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, sorry Jun. I didn't see you," Tai apologized to the auburn- haired girl. Jun Motomiya sat on one of the tree's large roots, looking up at him. Tai didn't know her very well. He had just met on the first day of camp, and she seemed really nice and fun to be around.  
  
"Oh, it's you Tai. Why aren't you back playing soccer or something?" Jun asked.  
  
Tai stretched out on the branch and closed his eyes. "I wanted to do something different from the usual. Besides, it's way too hot today." He opened one eye and looked down at her. "Why are you here? Usually, I find you swimming or something."  
  
Jun shrugged and smiled. "I guess you're not the only one who wanted to relax."  
  
Tai closed his eyes again. He was about to drift off when a new voice interrupted. "Hey, you guys. What are you doing?"  
  
Sora Takenouchi was standing at the base of the tree with Jun. She looked up at Tai curiously and then back at Jun. She was one of Tai's best friends. They had grown up together and played on the same soccer team.  
  
"Just hanging out," Tai answered.  
  
"Why do you ask, Sora?" Jun asked as she stretched her arms.  
  
"Well, Matt and I are going down to the lake. Do you two want to come?" Sora said, mentioning Matt Ishida, another one of the kids at the camp.  
  
"No, I think I'll just stay here," Jun answered.  
  
"How about you, Tai?" Sora asked.  
  
Tai considered it for a moment, but then decided against it. Hanging out with Sora, Jun, and Matt was fun, but it was just too usual for him. He wished that something different would happen. He wanted adventure!  
  
"No thanks. I think I'll just-Hey!" Tai stopped when he felt something cold touch his cheek. He jerked to a sit and brushed it off. To his surprise, he found something white on his fingers.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sora asked.  
  
"Are you okay?" Jun added. She had stood up and was standing next to Sora, looking up at him.  
  
Tai stared down at the soft object in his hand. "This looks like a...snowflake?"  
  
"Snow? In the middle of July?" Sora asked, her voice filled with doubt. Tai saw that both girls were looking at him like he had gone crazy.  
  
But he wasn't. It was snowing. The sky darkened noticeably. Looking up, Tai saw thick clouds form and block out the sun. More snowflakes peppered his face.  
  
Jun looked startled. "What do you know, it is snowing!"  
  
Around camp, other kids were starting to notice the sudden weather change as well. Matt stopped walking and looked around with a surprised expression on his face. Mimi Tachikawa stopped from picking flowers and extended her hands to catch a few of the snowflakes. TK Takaishi, Matt's little brother, came running by her, looking ecstatic. Joe Kido stumbled out from behind a tree with his trademark look of anxiety. The only kid who probably didn't notice was Izzy Izumi because he was busy typing away at his laptop on the cottage porch.   
  
"It's getting worse," Jun remarked, shivering as the wind picked up.  
  
"Now that's a cold snap!" Tai exclaimed as he got down from the tree and joined Jun and Sora. The gentle snow had turned into a hazy blizzard now. Powerful, cold gusts of wind bit at their exposed skin. White blankets of snow spread across the ground.  
  
"We'd better get inside!" Sora said anxiously.  
  
"Let's try that cottage!" Tai shouted over the wind. The three of them ran to the cottage where Izzy was just as Matt and TK showed up. Tai was about to close the door when Joe and Mimi barreling in stopped it.  
  
"Brrr! It's freezing. Can we come inside?" Joe asked, his arms flung around himself.  
  
"Huh?" Jun said suddenly. She was staring out a window, her face showing her confusion.  
  
"What's wrong, Jun?" Tai asked.  
  
"The snow...it stopped," Jun replied, stepping away so the other kids can see. Indeed it had. Everything was covered with crisp, white snow. The campgrounds had been transformed into a frosty wonderland.  
  
"What's going on with the weird weather?" TK asked wonderingly.  
  
Jun looked over at Izzy, who was still buried in his laptop. "Hey Izzy, what are you doing?"  
  
"Research...hey, check this out. It's happening all over the planet. Cities that are usually hot in summer are now cold. In other places, it's snowing where it hasn't rained in months. I read about it on the Internet," Izzy informed them.  
  
"I guess that means canoe races at the lake are canceled," Sora said.  
  
"So let's go sledding instead!" Tai piped up.  
  
"Hey! We can have snowball fights!" Jun added. Tai threw open the door and rushed out, Jun and Sora right behind him.  
  
"I worried about a summer cold, but this is ridiculous!" Joe whined.  
  
"Wow!" Mimi breathed as she stepped out. "Let's make snow angels! I wish I'd brought my fluffy pink snow boots."  
  
  
All the kids ran out to play in the snow, but Izzy stayed inside to try and reconnect his computer. Jun saw Tai standing in front of her not very far away with his back turned. A smile lit her face as she reached down and gathered some snow into her hands.  
  
"Hey Kamiya!" She yelled and hurled it at him. He turned just as the snowball hit him on the shoulder. Jun laughed. "Bull's eye!"  
  
Tai grinned, game. He snatched a handful of snow. "So you want to play, huh Jun?"  
  
He threw it but Jun ducked just in time. The snowball hit Sora in the head. She turned and glared in Tai's direction. "TAI!"  
  
"Sorry Sora," Tai said apologetically, holding his hands up as if to fend her off. Jun laughed but then stopped when she noticed the sky. It was strangely even brighter than before even though the dark clouds were still covering the sun. A strange light transformed the sky into an aurora of different colors. They filtered through the clouds like a pretty rainbow.  
  
"Hey, everyone! Look!" Jun said, catching everyone's attention as she pointed to the sky.  
  
"Whoa...cool," Tai said, looking around. "Hey, Izzy, come out! You gotta see this!"   
  
"Wow, it's beautiful. Magical even," Mimi said as she gawked at the sky.  
  
"Yeah," Izzy said as he walked outside and joined them. "But what is it?"  
  
Joe, of course, looked nervous. "I don't know, but I think we all ought to get back inside before we catch pneumonia."  
  
"And miss this? The sky is, like, short-circuiting!" Matt said incredulously.  
  
"Yeah Joe. Just chill out," Jun said as she watched the light suddenly change.  
  
The sky seemed to glow with light that intensified. Jun squinted against it. A little ball of the ultra bright light became visible. It grew brighter and larger, slowly revolving like a spinning ball of flame. It roughly resembled a colorful sun. Then it flared out and exploded into several beams of light that came slamming towards the ground.  
  
"WATCH OUT!" Tai screamed.  
  
Jun put her arms up instinctively and closed her eyes. She felt the ground under her shake as something hit the ground hard nearby. Dirt and snow rained on her, pelting her arms and legs. Jun dove to ground as the explosions into the ground continued. Finally, the noise of the explosions died away.  
  
Tentatively, Jun opened her eyes. She saw with relief as that neither she nor others appeared to be hurt. Rising, Jun brushed the snow and dirt out of her spiky hair and clothes.  
  
"Is everyone all right?" Sora called out.  
  
"We're still here," Matt said as he helped his little brother up.  
  
"That was scary," Mimi said in a breathless voice.  
  
"How weird," Jun commented as she looked around.  
  
"W-What was it?" Joe said shakily.   
  
Izzy ignored them for a moment as he walked over to one of the holes that had formed when the light rays impacted. He peered down it curiously. "This must be where one of those things hit. Maybe they were meteors."  
  
Jun looked over and saw a pale light start emitting from the holes. Her eyes widened in surprise as little balls of light floated up out of the holes. "Meteors, you say?"  
  
"I'm no rocket scientist, but I don't think meteors do this!" Matt exclaimed.  
  
Tai walked past Jun and studied one of the globs of light. He saw a small mechanical device about the size of his palm in the center of the light. Very carefully, Tai reached out and took hold of it just as the seven other kids did. The lights vanished as soon as they were touched. Jun looked down in her palm to see a weird device that reminded her of a small computer.  
  
"What are they?" Tai asked.  
  
"It looks like some sort of miniature digital apparatus," Izzy replied all scientifically.  
  
"It looks like something my little brother Davis would play with," Jun said, puzzled by his intelligent banter but eyes never leaving the 'miniature digital apparatus.'  
  
"With no instructions? What kind of toy is this?" Joe asked nervously.  
  
"W-what's that?!" Jun demanded when there was a loud sound. When she looked up, she gasped. A huge blue-green wall of water was rising up from the ground! The wave looked at least a hundred feet high. Jun could see white foam forming at the top of the tidal wave.  
  
"Forget the instructions. Surf's up!" Tai yelled. The tidal wave rushed down on them and swept the kids away. Jun felt herself being turned and tumbled. Looking around in panic, Jun saw the others doing the same as they were pummeled by the tidal wave.  
  
What is this? She thought. The wave carried her and her friends high up into the air. Then Jun felt her stomach drop as she looked down and saw the ground open up. They were falling into it!  
  
Then everything flashed and went black.  
  
  
A/N: Sorry it didn't focus much on Jun but I don't intend to turn her into a Mary Sue or something. I just needed to present her as one of the gang. I had to watch the first episode and read the book carefully to do this. It will focus on her like it does the other characters in the show in future chapters. How did I do? R/R!   
  
  



	2. New Friends

A Digital Destiny   
  
A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews! Chimon is of my creation because I don't know what Digimon Jun's Digimon digivolves from. I think it's actually a Tsunomon so I just decided to create a new one so that it wouldn't be the same as Matt's Digimon.  
  
Chapter 2: New Friends  
  
When Jun woke up, she found herself lying on the ground somewhere. Blinking slowly to focus her eyes, Jun sat up and looked around. To her surprise, she was sitting in the middle of a forest. Startled, she became fully awake and jumped to her feet.  
  
"Hiya Jun!"  
  
The little voice coming from below made her jump. Jun looked down to see a strange creature looking up at her. It looked like a navy and white ball with flippers and little webbed feet, eyes, and a tiny beak. Its round body was navy but its face was white. Two huge blue eyes peered at Jun curiously. Whatever it was, it was adorable.  
  
"A-Are you t-talking to me?" Jun stammered, not believing her eyes as the creature's face lit up in a smile.  
  
"Hi Jun! I've been waiting so long for you! My name's Chimon!" It squeaked and waddled to her. At least it wasn't some vicious monster. Instead, it was a walking, talking ball...  
  
"AHHHHHHHH!" Jun screamed and scrambled backwards. Chimon blinked and looked at her in surprise.  
  
"What's wrong Jun?" Chimon asked.  
  
"Y-You talk! You're a...talking ball!" Jun cried.  
  
Chimon giggled. "No, I'm not! I'm a Digimon!"  
  
"A Digi-what?" Jun asked, calming down a bit when she saw the friendly look she had on her face.  
  
"A Digimon! You and I are partners!" Chimon said happily and jumped right into Jun's arms.  
  
"How do you know my name?" Jun asked, looking down at Chimon.  
  
The Digimon grinned again and nuzzled into Jun's chest. "Like I said, we're partners! I've been waiting a long time for you!"  
  
"This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Jun muttered.  
  
There was a rustle in the bushes behind Jun. Whirling quickly to face whatever it was, Jun kept imagining some gigantic, blood-sucking monster. Or maybe a gigantic bug about to suck her brains out. To her relief, Sora stepped out from behind the bush. She had a pink radish-like thing with blue leaves and green eyes tucked under one arm.  
  
"Jun!" Sora exclaimed, stopping short.  
  
"Sora!" Jun replied and then eyed the pink thing. "You have one too?"  
  
"So do you! This is uh..." Sora looked down at the pink thing.  
  
"Yokomon!" It said as it hopped down from Sora's arm.  
  
"I'm Chimon!" Chimon piped up in Jun's arms and then joined Yokomon.  
  
"What in the world is going on?" Jun asked.  
  
"This is really weird. One moment we were at camp and now we're, like, in the middle of the Amazon!" Sora said, looking perplexed herself.  
  
A loud roar made both girls jump and glance over in the direction in which it had come from. Jun saw two shambling figures burst from behind the bushes and run desperately from some unknown assailant.  
  
"Hey! It's Tai and Izzy!" Jun said.  
  
"I wonder what they're running from," Sora replied. As if on cue to her words, a huge red beetle appeared in the sky. It looked very angry and flew after the fleeing Tai and Izzy at an alarming rate. Jun noticed that Tai had a pink Digimon in his arms and there was another Digimon running beside Izzy.  
  
"Sora, they have, uh..." Jun looked down at Chimon for help.  
  
"Digimon!" Chimon eagerly supplied.  
  
"Right. They have Digimon too!" Jun said.  
  
The little pink blob that had been running along with Izzy stopped by a tree and shouted to Tai and Izzy. "In here!"  
  
"Huh? Into what?" Sora wondered. The creature was pointing to a tree. A sparkling tree.  
  
Tai and Izzy seemed oblivious to this fact in their mad dash. They ran to the blob.  
  
"In here!" It repeated and then actually disappeared right into the tree! The two boys ran and threw themselves in after it.  
  
"Duck!" Jun said and dropped to a crouch as the beetle skimmed by the tree Tai and Izzy had gone into.  
  
"That's Kuwagamon. He's a big meany!" Chimon said when the beetle passed them and flew back up into the sky.  
  
"Come on. Let's go get the boys and see if they're okay," Jun said to Sora. Sora nodded and followed her as she left their hiding spot after a cautious glance around. They walked and stopped in front of the sparkling tree.  
  
"You can come out now!" Sora called.  
  
"He's gone!" Jun added.  
  
She listened for a second and heard Tai's muffled voice. "Hey, that's Sora and Jun!"  
  
The two boys and their Digimon walked out of the tree. Both looked relieved to see them. Then they saw Chimon and Yokomon.  
  
"Enchanted to meet you. My name is Yokomon," Yokomon said pleasantly.  
  
"My own personal something-or-other," Sora added with a smile.  
  
"I'm Chimon. You can call me, well, Chimon!" Chimon said joyfully.  
  
"I have one too," Jun told them.  
  
"They look kind of like a radish and a ball with flippers," Tai observed.  
  
Another Digimon all of a sudden bounded into the clearing with a grin. "Hello! I am Tokomon!"  
  
"They're popping up everywhere!" Izzy said.  
  
"I wonder who this one belongs to," Jun mused. Then TK ran in after the creature. Matt followed him, yet another creature tucked under his arm like Sora had Yokomon earlier.  
  
"Hey, Matt! You too?" Tai cried.  
  
"Yeah, I'm here too," Matt responded.  
  
"No, I mean that thing you're holding," Tai said.  
  
The brown Digimon with a horn blushed as it spoke. "Hello. You appear to be pleasant. My name is Tsunomon."  
  
Before anyone could react, Joe's panicked voice filled the air, making everyone jump in surprise. "HEEEELLLLPPPP! HEEEELLLLPPPP!"  
  
Joe exploded through the bushes. His eyes practically bulged out of his head with terror. He had his arms waving frantically in the air. A little Digimon roughly resembling a dragon bounced after him.  
  
"Help! This thing won't leave me alone!" Joe shrieked.  
  
"I'm no thing! I'm Bukamon!" the Digimon cried, sounding mildly offended. Joe was still hysterical.  
  
"Um...Joe?" Jun said.  
  
"What's wrong with you guys? Can't you see these...things?" Joe asked, a look of panic still in his eyes.  
  
"We can see them just fine. Now would you calm down?" Jun replied calmly.  
  
Joe seemed to relax a little, noticing that they weren't freaking out with their Digimon. "What-what are they?"  
  
At this, all seven Digimon said in unison: "We're Digimons. Digital monsters!"  
  
Tai's Digimon-Koromon- added, "We're not just digital monsters. We're also kinda cute!"  
  
"And very loyal," Tsunomon put in.  
  
Jun took notice that everyone here had been one of the people who had picked up one of those strange devices. All but one. "Where's Mimi?"  
  
"Mimi's not here?" Tai asked. "Where do you think she is? She's bound to have come with us, don't you think?"  
  
"Maybe she's off somewhere picking flowers," Joe suggested idly.  
  
Jun highly doubted this. Then a scream filled the air. Instantly, Jun recognized it as Mimi's voice.  
  
"Okay, so she's not picking flowers," Joe said, looking pale.  
  
"Come on! She might be in trouble!" Jun yelled. The seven kids ran towards the direction of where Mimi's scream had come from. They stopped when they saw Mimi and a little green Digimon running for their lives from the Kuwagamon that was skimming the trees hungrily.  
  
"Everyone down!" Matt ordered. Every one of them hit the dirt immediately. Jun could feel the wind rush by as she pressed herself against the ground. Fortunately, the Kuwagamon couldn't fly low and passed by.  
  
"This is the worst summer camp I've ever been to. My mom is going to want a refund!" Joe complained.  
  
Mimi, looking terrified, burst into tears. As she wailed the green Digimon looked at her and tried to comfort her. "Don't worry, Mimi. Tanemon is here to protect you."  
  
"Well, if we want to be safe, we'd better move," Tai declared.  
  
"Come on Mimi. It's too dangerous here," Jun said and helped the extremely upset Mimi up. The eight of them walked through the unfamiliar forest in search of a safe place to rest. The buzz of the persistent Kuwagamon could distinctly be heard over the treetops.  
  
"Doesn't he give up?" Jun sighed.  
  
"Kuwagamon's always causing trouble in these parts," Chimon said. "He's always terrorizing and picking on smaller Digimon."  
  
Tai looked like he had had enough. "I'm getting tired of running!"  
  
"There's no way we can fight that thing," Matt reasoned.  
  
"Not fight and win, anyway," Izzy agreed.  
  
Tai didn't look happy, but he didn't argue. They resumed walking through the forest. Then the seemingly endless trees ended. The kids found themselves standing in a clearing that happed to be a cliff. It was a cliff that hung over the ocean apparently because Jun could hear the sounds of waves crashing.  
  
"Oh great! Anyone have a helicopter?" Matt grumbled.  
  
Tai moved towards the edge and peered down. Jun saw him sigh resolutely. "There's no way down."  
  
"Aww man..." Jun muttered. She heard the trees behind her shudder. Jerking her head around, Jun watched at the trees suddenly splintered. Kuwagamon came barreling through, his jaws snapping like a lawnmower. "He's back!"  
  
Everyone dropped at her call. The Kuwagamon let out a cry of rage and suddenly veered. He went for his closest target. Tai. Tai was standing next to a cliff. He had nowhere to go!  
  
"Tai!" Jun screamed as Kuwagamon neared him.  
  
"Here I go!" Koromon shouted. He sprang from the ground, right into the Kuwagamon. A bubble burst from his mouth and splattered against Kuwagamon's red shell head, but the large Digimon wasn't even fazed. He simply brushed Koromon aside and dove at Tai. With a cry of surprise, Tai jumped away, barely avoiding being killed.  
  
Kuwagamon wasn't ready to give up yet. He simply flew around and zoomed towards the other kids. Jun gasped, frozen in fear.   
  
"Digimons, attack!" the seven remaining Digimon shouted. They leapt and each unleashed a zippy bubble. The attacks hit Kuwagamon in a combined effort. Kuwagamon roared and lost its coordination. He slammed into the trees and made a hasty getaway. They had, for the moment, beaten Kuwagamon.  
  
"Chimon!" Jun cried when she saw the little Digimon sprawled on the ground. The other Digimon were in the same shape. Every one of the kids rushed over to their new friends.  
  
"Chimon, are you okay?" Jun asked her Digimon anxiously. The little Digimon's bravery really impressed her.  
  
Chimon's eyes fluttered open. "I'm okay, Jun. I'm just tired."  
  
"They must be programmed for courage," Izzy murmured as he examined his Motimon.  
  
The other little Digimon were unconscious. Their partners held them, worried. Even Joe looked worried as he held Bukamon.  
  
"Bukamon, wake up," Joe pleaded but Bukamon didn't even stir. Then the familiar roar ripped through the air.  
  
Jun glanced up, her heart sinking when she saw. "OH NO! HE"S COME BACK!"  
  
  
A/N: That was actually a little easier when I write it more in Jun's experiences! It will have some differences with the original story, but the idea is still similar. I just added Jun and her affect on the group. R/R!   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Digivolve to...

A Digital Destiny  
  
A/N: Thank you for the reviews and for the insight from those who helped me in the forum room. I haven't been able to work on this fic for a while because I've been busy with work and relatives and just a whole bunch of crazy stuff.  
  
Chapter 3: Digivolve to...  
  
"Oh great," Tai muttered as they were backed against the cliff. Kuwagamon had landed and was slowly walking towards them. The ground trembled with each step.  
  
"What a bully!" Jun said as she clutched Chimon to her. "What did we do to him?"  
  
"I don't think he's in the mood to discuss it with us!" Joe said, his voice on the peak of hysteria. Kuwagamon snapped his scissor-hand jaws together. He growled and took another rumbling step.  
  
"Okay, get ready to run," Tai said as he stepped back cautiously.  
  
In his arms, Koromon began squirming. "No! Don't run. Fight!"  
  
Tai glanced down at the small Digimon impatiently. "Give it up, will you?"  
  
"Koromon's right. It's time that we show what we're made of," Motimon piped up.  
  
"If we work together, we can beat him," Chimon perked up and began wiggling out of Jun's arms. "Let me go Jun! We have to fight!"  
  
"But you're no match for him!" Sora cried as Yokomon gave her a hard time. Every one of the little Digimon were trying to break free of their partners.  
  
"Lemme go. Lemme go, lemme go!" Tsunomon chanted as Matt tried to hold him still. Eventually, they got free and bounded over towards Kuwagamon. They looked absolutely determined to beat him.  
  
"No! You'll be killed!" Tai protested.  
  
"Please! Stop it before you get hurt!" Jun pleaded, feeling totally useless. If they were partners, how come none of them could do anything to help their Digimon fight? No! Jun wouldn't give up. Chimon needed her!  
  
As if triggered by her thoughts, the digital device in Jun's pocket started to grow warm. Perplexed, Jun pulled it out and saw the screen start flashing. She looked up at the surprised gasps of the others and found that theirs were doing the same thing. As the eight devices came to life, multi-colored beams of light shot down from the sky and surrounded each Digimon. The Digimon suddenly began radiating a mysterious light.  
  
"Koromon digivolve to...Agumon!" In the place of Koromon stood an orange lizard-like creature that looked like a little T-rex.  
  
"Yokomon digivolve to...Biyomon!" The pink and blue radish turned into a pink bird with a big head.  
  
"Motimon digivolve to...Tentomon!" A tough bug creature with buzzing wings appeared out of the light.  
  
"Tsunomon digivolve to...Gabumon!" A creature with a horn on its head and white and blue-striped fur appeared.  
  
"Tokomon digivolve to...Patamon!" The small creature had become an orange and white Digimon with wings on its head.  
  
"Bukamon digivolve to...Gomamon!" Instead of the miniature dragon was a white Digimon with sharp claws and flippers.  
  
"Tanemon digivolve to...Palmon!" the little green thing turned into a tall, walking flower.  
  
"Chimon digivolve to...Penguinmon!" Jun's little Digimon had transformed into a navy colored penguin-like creature with a white, blue-striped belly. It had a large beak that was yellow but black on the tip. It had round ruby eyes and sharp talons on its flippers. Jun gawked at the Digimon in amazement. Was this thing Chimon?  
  
The lights faded. The eight new, larger Digimon faced off with the Kuwagamon. Their new look obviously took it by surprise.  
  
"What happened to the little guys?" Mimi asked.  
  
The Digimon advanced forward and rushed Kuwagamon head on. Kuwagamon seemed startled and desperately swiped his claw out. He knocked them all down in just that one sweep. Jun felt her hopes in winning deflate for a second but it flared back up when Penguinmon and the other Digimon got back onto their feet.  
  
Kuwagamon flapped his wings and began urgently taking off. It panicked as the Digimon called Palmon stepped forward and lifted her arms.  
  
"POISON IVY!" She shouted. Several tendrils shot out of the tips of her arms and entwined themselves around Kuwagamon's legs. Kuwagamon struggled violently, almost pulling Palmon up, but Penguinmon rushed at him and jumped up so that she was in his face.  
  
"ENDLESS SLAP!" Penguinmon used her flippers and slapped Kuwagamon's face rapidly. The large bug's head jerked to and fro, making him dizzy. Then Penguinmon jumped on his head and used it to spring away just as Patamon moved in.  
  
"BOOM BUBBLE!" A zippy bubble exploded onto the disoriented Kuwagamon's face, making him lose his balance completely.  
  
"SUPER SHOCKER!" Tentomon came in next with a burst of electricity aimed at the massive Digimon's head.  
  
Gomamon took advantage of Kuwagamon's distracted state and rammed his body into one of the giant beetle's legs. This caused Kuwagamon to stumble, his defense completely down.  
  
"Stand back everyone!" Agumon shouted, clamping his mouth shut and then unleashing a burst of flames. "PEPPER BREATH!"  
  
"BLUE BLASTER!" Gabumon added his shimmering blue beam of ice.  
  
"SPIRAL TWISTER!" Biyomon shot a spiral of green energy at Kuwagamon. The large red beetle stumbled back even further, roaring in pain.  
  
"Now! All together!" Agumon yelled. All the Digimon gathered themselves and unleashed their attacks at once. The combined energy exploded against Kuwagamon's chest. He screamed in agony, rearing back and crashing into the trees.  
  
"All right!" Jun cheered.  
  
Amazing! Koromon! Or Agumon, or whoever you are. You did it!" Tai added as the kids ran to their Digimon. Everyone was laughing and cheering.  
  
Unfortunately, Kuwagamon wasn't done with them yet. With an ear-splitting cry of rage, he slammed his way out of the trees. Splinters of wood and leaves flew everywhere. Kuwagamon lashed out at the trees nearby and sent them flying wildly out of the way. Using his massive scissor claws, he attacked the cliff. The rock split, cracking and crumbling under their feet.  
  
"Oh no! Look out!" Sora screamed. The cliff side broke away and sent the eight kids and their Digimon plummeting towards a rushing river.  
  
"AHHH!" Jun yelped as she felt herself plunge into the water. Flailing her arms and legs, she kicked her way to the surface, gasping for air.  
  
She struggled against the water rapids. She randomly caught sight of the others doing the same.  
  
"Jun!" Penguinmon suddenly appeared under her and kept her head above water.  
  
"Penguinmon!" Jun cried in relief.  
  
Gomamon's call made them glance up. "MARCHING FISHES!"  
  
What happened next astounded Jun. Literally, thousands of fish appeared out of no where. They were...everywhere! Around them, under them, so many that Jun could no longer see the river anymore. It felt strange. To have so many wriggling and squirming fish lifting them up out of the water.  
  
"What in the world?" Jun asked, startled. A familiar battle cry wrenched Jun's attention back towards the sky. "Huh? AHHH!"  
  
"Doesn't he ever give up?" Matt said as the large form of Kuwagamon appeared on the weakened cliff. Jun saw pieces of it begin to crumble and knew that it couldn't possibly be strong enough to support Kuwagamon's weight. A second later, her fears were confirmed. The rocks gave way and Kuwagamon came falling down through it.  
  
"Look out!" Tai yelled frantically.  
  
Gomamon lifted a paw and pointed down the river. "GO!"  
  
Jun clutched instinctively at Penguinmon as she felt the fish underneath her begin to move forward in the direction in which Gomamon was pointing. It was quite an effective trip. The fish ushered the kids and their passengers away from the thrashing Kuwagamon as he fell.  
  
"Yes! We're getting away!" TK cheered. Jun heard a splash coming from behind and turned her head just in time to see Kuwagamon hitting the water...and sending a ripple of huge waves in their direction!  
  
"Uh...I'd hold that thought, TK," Matt said nervously.  
  
"Can't we go any faster?" Joe demanded in a panicked voice.  
  
"They're fish, not cars Joe!" Gomamon snapped.  
  
"Watch out!" Jun, Mimi, and Sora screamed at the same time as one of the waves reached them.  
  
If someone had been watching, they would have thought it was a strange storm because children, Digimon and fish were falling from the sky. The wave had lifted them up and sent them sprawling onto the banks of the river. Everyone just lay there for a second. The beached fish were flopping helplessly towards the water.  
  
"Oww," Jun muttered as she slowly sat up. She found Penguinmon next to her.  
  
"What was that? A floating fish market?" Joe asked grumpily as he stirred.  
  
"Those are just friends of mine. I just asked them for a lift, that's all."  
  
Joe stood up and muttered, "And in all these years I thought I was allergic to seafood. Thank you, um, I guess it's not Bukamon now?"  
  
Gomamon grinned widely and replied. "Nope! It's Gomamon!"  
  
"So you're not Tokomon, are you?" TK asked Patamon.  
  
"Now I'm Patamon!" the Digimon chirped.  
  
Jun glanced down at her Digimon. "And you're Penguinmon?"  
  
Penguinmon nodded. "Yup, that's right."  
  
"It's all because we digivolved," Agumon explained.  
  
Tai looked confused. "I don't think that word's in my dictionary."  
  
Izzy frowned and looked thoughtful. "So digivolving is what they do when they advance to the next level and become more powerful."  
  
"No kidding," Tai said and then looked at Agumon. "When you digivolved you got way bigger. Does this mean you're still a Digimon, or something else?"  
  
Agumon chuckled. "Digimon! Just stronger than before. But I need your help, Tai."  
  
"Help with what?" Tai asked.  
  
Agumon launched into an explanation about how complicated digivolving was and how the Digimon had to share the energy of his or her partner. Then each Digidestined turned to talk to their own Digimon.  
  
"So...you need me to digivolve?" Jun asked Penguinmon in a daze.  
  
Penguinmon nodded enthusiastically. "Sure do! You make it work, Jun!"  
  
"Okay," Matt smoothly said. "So what are we going to do now?"  
  
"We should go exploring and find our way around," Tai suggested. This led to a pointless debate about whether they should go or not.  
  
Agumon revealed that there had never been any other humans besides them in the DigiWorld. Jun watched her friends argue. This was clearly getting them no where anyway.  
  
"Well, we're not going to find out anything standing here," Tai said suddenly. "I'm going."  
  
"Where?" Matt asked.  
  
"Back up that cliff. That's where I saw the ocean," Tai turned and began walking up the street. "Maybe we can find a boat or something."  
  
"A boat? Maybe we can water-ski home," Matt said a little sarcastically.  
  
Jun rolled her eyes and groaned as Joe perked up, "At a time like this I think we'd all be better off just finding a cave and hiding. We can keep our eyes open and...um..."  
  
No one was listening anymore. They were to busy following Tai away. Behind her, Jun heard Joe mumble about his pants.  
  
"What's it like from your world, Jun?" Penguinmon asked, drawing Jun's attention to her.  
  
"My world? Oh, there are a lot of things. There's more people, towns, cars-"  
  
"And malls! Don't forget malls, Jun," Mimi put in quickly.  
  
Jun grinned. "Um...yeah. Right, malls too. Anyway, there's a lot of stuff, Penguinmon."  
  
Penguinmon's red eyes stared at her in fascination. "Wow...you must come from a big world."  
  
Izzy had been watching the exchange curiously and then turned to Tentomon. "You say that you're digital monsters, but you look like machines to me."  
  
"Oh yeah, well watch this!" Tentomon's wings rose above his head. Sparks of electricity began crackling wildly, some lashing out dangerously.  
  
"Izzy! Would you stop with the questions before you get us killed?" Matt snapped as he pushed TK behind him.  
  
"Ok! Ok! You can stop, Tentomon!" Izzy said hurriedly, his arms up covering his face.  
  
The rest of the walk was conducted in silence. The kids and their Digimon managed to make it to the end of the river and discovered that it led right to the ocean Tai had mentioned. A distant ringing of a telephone could be heard. A line of telephone booths could be seen along the water's edge and seemed to go on and on forever.  
  
"We're saved!" Tai cheered and made a mad dash for the booths. The ringing abruptly stopped. "Does anyone have any loose change?"   
  
"Call collect. And hey, if you find a place that delivers, order us a pizza," Matt suggested in his cool monotone.  
  
Everyone went to a telephone booth to call home. Jun excitedly dialed her home phone number in and listened as it rang. Then she heard someone pick up.  
  
"Mom? Davis? It's Jun-" Jun stopped when a voice interrupted her.  
  
"Your call has been connected to the green toucan wearing an apron."  
  
"Uh...what? Davis? Is this you?" Jun asked, thinking that it was her little brother playing a joke.  
  
"Try another one, Jun," Penguinmon said.  
  
Jun ran over to another booth. She got yet another strange response.  
  
"Fish are blinking insanely as bananas collide."  
  
With a startled blink, Jun hung up and stepped back from the booth. "Weird operator."  
  
"I think staying around here is a waste of time," Tai groaned. The kids regrouped from their unsuccessful attempts to make a call home.  
  
"I think even if we can't call out, someone might be able to call us. Besides, I think we could all use a rest," Matt announced with a frown.  
  
"And I'm hungry too," Izzy sighed.  
  
"Does anyone have anything to eat?" Tai asked. Everyone went through their things but didn't come up with anything edible.  
  
"Look what I've got!" TK piped up and revealed a stash or cookies and chips.  
  
"I think those will just make us sick if we eat them now. Why don't you save it, okay TK?" Jun said to him.  
  
Sora eyed Mimi's bag. "What have you got in there, Mimi? Cosmetics and hairbrushes?"  
  
Mimi began dumping things out of her bag. "Well, let's see. I've got a compass, cooking fuel, a flashlight, a Swiss Army knife, and some other stuff."  
  
The others just stared at Mimi for a moment. "What?" She asked.  
  
"Throw in a tent and you'll be ready for a camping trip," Jun commented.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us you had a compass?" Tai demanded.  
  
Mimi shrugged and smiled a little. "I thought it would be fun to see how far we could get without one. Besides, it's broken."  
  
Matt bent down and picked up the cooking fuel. "But we could use the cooking fuel to light a signal fire."  
  
"That's true or I guess we could barbecue some telephone poles," Sora grumbled.  
  
Jun noticed that Tai was glancing at Joe, who was still over by the phone booths trying to make a call. Tai eyes suddenly widened in excitement. "Hey, Joe's got the emergency kit. Hey Joe!"  
  
Joe turned and frowned at Tai. "Don't you know it's rude to-"  
  
"Listen! You've got food!" Tai barked.  
  
The other kids bombarded Joe. They rationed out the food to last them another three days before digging in. the Digimon had refused, claiming that they could find their own food.  
  
Tai handed Agumon a piece of his portion. "Here, Agumon, have a bite. I know you can find your own food but you might as well have some of mine right now."  
  
"Thanks Tai!" Agumon said and gobbled the offering down.  
  
Biyomon turned her head sharply towards the beach as the ground began to tremble. A sense of foreboding lodged in Jun's chest.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sora asked.  
  
"Trouble," Biyomon said softly. This became an event Jun got used to.  
  
  
A/N: That was the longest chapter I've ever written for any of my fics! The next chapter is going to skip ahead a bit to when Penguinmon goes to her Champion form. Sorry, but that'll be happening a lot because I'm trying to focus on Jun. I think you'll like what I have planned for the next chapter though. Read and Review!   
  
  
  
  



	4. Champion

**__**

A Digital Destiny

A/N: This chapter kind of skips ahead. I really didn't want to sit around all day and type out each episode. So I decided only to do certain ones and original ones where Jun is the main focus. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter. This idea hit me a few days ago and I couldn't wait to get it down.   
  
Chapter 4: Champion  
  
The last few days had been some of the strangest and exciting Jun had ever experienced in her entire life. Oh sure, they were full of danger, but Jun was kind of happy that they're summer was turning out to be an adventure. To catch you up, this is what had happened so far...  
  
A Digimon named Shellmon interrupted their picnic on the beach. Tai, seeing that their eight Digimon couldn't possibly fight off the large shelled Digimon, distracted him. Agumon's attacks had been ineffective and Shellmon had almost killed Tai. Then Agumon digivolved to Greymon, a large orange t-rex with a brown skull on his face, and saved the day.  
  
Next, the kids and their Digimon had found an abandoned trolley by a pink lake so they opted to spend the night in there. In the middle of the night, Seadramon had attacked and dragged Matt under water. Seeing his partner in danger, Gabumon digivolved into Garurumon and defeated the menacing sea serpent.  
  
Then came a visit to the Yokomon village. As it turns out, a fiery Digimon called Meramon had recently attacked the small village. No sooner did the kids find out, Meramon himself came charging down the mountain like a madman. Biyomon had digivolved to Birdramon and fought him in a brilliant aerial battle. Strangely, after Meramon's defeat, a revolving black gear had floated up out of his back and burst into pieces.  
  
Finally, the kids were led to an empty factory where the machines built things and then took them apart. There, they had a run-in with Andromon. He resembled Robocop, only with more attitude. Tentomon digivolved to Kabuterimon and defeated Andromon. After the Digimon fell, another strange black gear floated up and shattered.  
  
Which leads us to now...  
  
"EVERYONE! GET UP! TROUBLE!"  
  
Jun groggily opened her eyes as the ground began to tremble with violent force and Joe call out urgently. When her foggy mind grasped the conditions, she instantly woke up with a start. The others were sitting up with confused expressions similar to her own as the earth shook.  
  
"Run! It's a pack of Tyrannomon, and they're coming this way!" Gomamon shouted, pointing a claw.  
  
Jun jumped to her feet and looked in the direction in which he was pointing. Indeed they were in trouble! A large herd of purple, green, and red dinosaur-like creatures were charging towards their campsite at an alarming pace.  
  
"Let's get out of here!" Sora yelled.  
  
"TK, come on!" Matt said and helped his little brother up.  
  
"Why are they headed this way?" Tai groaned as they began to run away.  
  
Penguinmon ran next to Jun. It was more of a rapid waddle then run but it barely kept her in pace. Jun reached down and hoisted Penguinmon onto her shoulders, never stopping her run.  
  
"Just so you don't get tired!" Jun yelled to her Digimon.  
  
Jun felt Penguinmon let out a breath. "You're the best!"  
  
Agumon suddenly veered away when he saw a forest. "Hey! Let's run into the forest and lose them!"  
  
"Good idea, Agumon! Let's go!" Tai cheered and led them to the mass of trees. The forest looked dark and scary, but at the moment, anything seemed better than getting eaten by a pack of killer Tyrannomon.  
  
Jun ran as fast as her legs could carry her. A familiar feeling of fear lodged in her chest. Penguinmon clung onto her neck. The Tyrannomon roared viciously, an ear-splitting sound that made Jun shudder.  
  
"Hey! I think we lost them," Tai called out in a breathless voice after they sprinted quite a distance into the forest. For a change, luck seemed to be on their side. There were no signs of the pack of Tyrannomon anywhere behind them. The group collapsed to the ground, all panting for breath and reeling in exhaustion.  
  
"That was close!" Jun sighed and took a glance around. She blinked a little when she took in the new surroundings. They were in a dark forest, spindly bare trees covering both sides. The branches of the trees reached out eerily to each other over them, blocking out any light and forming a dark atmosphere. The entire thing reminded Jun of a scene from a scary movie.  
  
"W-where are we guys?" Joe asked, looking terrified.  
  
"I think this is the Dark Forest," Palmon supplied as she looked around cautiously.  
  
"What a name. It really describes the place," Tai remarked.  
  
Jun edged around a tree and noticed a motion out of the corner of her eye. Turning quickly, she was surprised to find nothing there. Penguinmon looked up at her curiously.  
  
"What's wrong Jun?"  
  
"Did you see something?"  
  
"No. Why?"  
  
"I thought...oh never mind. I think my imagination's starting to play tricks on me or something," Jun said.  
  
"Don't count on it sweetheart!" a strange, squeaky voice snapped. "GOBLIN BOMB!"  
  
Jun screamed as an object came flying at her from the trees. Penguinmon tackled her to the ground. "Look out Jun!"  
  
Suddenly, creatures began emerging from the trees. There were so many of them that it was quite obvious that the kids and their Digimon were surrounded. Some of the creatures were ugly green skinned things holding bone clubs and had pointy teeth. The others were oversized, walking purple mushrooms.  
  
"Who are they?" Mimi shrieked.  
  
"What are they?" Izzy asked, looking intrigued despite their obvious threat.  
  
"Those ugly green guys are Goblimon. They gang up on helpless Digimon and used their Goblin Bomb to attack them," Gomamon said with obvious disgust.  
  
"Who're ya' calling ugly?" one of the Goblimon snarled.  
  
"Those other ones are Mushroomon. They attack with a deadly spore attack called Poison Smash that can render a Digimon unconscious for weeks," Tentomon added.  
  
"Wanna' go a round?" a Mushroomon sneered, holding up a gloved hand.  
  
"There's so many of them!" TK cried, hiding behind Matt.  
  
"Agumon! Digivolve!" Tai said.  
  
"Right!" Agumon replied and then concentrated hard...but plopped to the ground in exhaust. "I can't Tai!"  
  
"Huh? What do you mean you can't?" Tai demanded.  
  
"I'm just too tired!" Agumon sighed.  
  
Matt looked at the other Digimon who could Digivolve. "What about you guys?"  
  
Gabumon tried but then shook his head. "Sorry, no luck."  
  
"I can't either!" Biyomon complained.  
  
"Oh no!" Sora said, her eyes wide.  
  
"What about you Tentomon?" Izzy asked. Tentomon tried but then collapsed just like Agumon had.  
  
"I'm spent," Tentomon grumbled.  
  
"None of you can Digivolve? Now what do we do?" Jun asked, looking around nervously.  
  
A loud, eerie chuckle filled the air. "It seems you kids are having a problem."  
  
"Who's that?" Joe asked as a figure emerged from behind a group of Goblimon and Mushroomon.  
  
"Kneel before Master Sorcerymon!" a Goblimon commanded.  
  
"What? No way! It'll ruin my dress!" Mimi shrieked.  
  
"Penguinmon, who is that?" Jun asked.  
  
Penguinmon frowned, looking a little confused. "That's Sorcerymon. He's the master of Lunastar Castle. He's usually such a nice guy. I wonder what's wrong with him?"  
  
"Foolish children. You dare enter my territory without permission?" Sorcerymon hissed emotionlessly. "Prepare to die."  
  
Sorcerymon was the closest thing resembling a human that Jun had seen beside herself and her friends since entering the DigiWorld. He was a bit shorter than her and had unusual eyes that displayed no emotion whatsoever. He was dressed in rough tan clothes and had a silvery-white cape and pointy hat that Jun had always seen witches wear. Something black was sticking out of his back, but Jun couldn't see it very well to make out what it was.  
  
"Get them. Make sure they don't get out of here alive," Sorcerymon said calmly.  
  
"Yes Maser!" all of the Goblimon and the Mushroomon chanted.  
  
Jun gasped and backed up as they began advancing on them. The others were edging away as well. A Goblimon sprang at her out of no where.  
  
"No you don't!" Penguinmon snapped and hurled herself at the Digimon. The two tumbled to the ground and wrestled for control. They sprang away at the same time and faced each other down.  
  
"GOBLIN BOMB!" the bomb shaped like a grinning goblin face was thrown at Penguinmon. She dove out of the way just in time. Jun was thrown to the ground as it impacted and exploded against a tree, sending it falling over.  
  
"ENDLESS SLAP!" Penguinmon launched at the Goblimon again, her flippers swinging violently. She slapped him silly and then stepped back a little. The distorted Goblimon stumbled and before he could recover, Penguinmon rammed him into a tree and knocked him out.  
  
"SPIRAL TWISTER!" Biyomon shot the spiral of green energy and crumpled to the ground with an exhausted gasp.  
  
"Biyomon! Are you okay?" Sora rushed over to her friend.  
  
"POISON SMASH!" a group of Mushroomon quickly overwhelmed Palmon and Gomamon in almost an instant.  
  
Mimi burst into tears. "Palmon!"  
  
"Gomamon! Get up!" Joe called.  
  
"BOOM BUBBLE!" Patamon shot a bubble at a Goblimon but missed.  
  
"GOBLIN BOMB!" The attack slammed into Patamon and sent him flying back into TK's arms.  
  
"NO! Patamon!" TK cried, already in tears. He took off for his Digimon.  
  
"TK! Come back here!" Matt yelled and dashed after his little brother.  
  
"SUPER SHOCKER!" Tentomon blasted a jolt of electricity out.  
  
"PEPPER BREATH!" Agumon unleashed a ball of flames.  
  
"BLUE BLASTER!" Gabumon added his beam of ice cold energy.  
  
"GOLBLIN BOMB!"  
  
"POISON SMASH!"  
  
The three Digimon cried out in pain as nearly a dozen of the other Digimon retaliated with their attacks. The Goblimon and the Mushroomon moved in and started beating the defeated Digimon even more. Izzy, Tai, and Matt could only watch in horror.  
  
"Tentomon!" Izzy yelled.  
  
"Agumon!" Tai cried.  
  
"Gabumon, no!" Matt hollered.  
  
Jun felt her eyes widen in horror as she looked around. Most of their Digimon were down, overwhelmed by the sheer number of the Goblimon and the Mushroomon. Gomamon and Palmon lay in painful heaps. Patamon was being cradled by TK as he huddled down to avoid being hit, crying his heart out. Biyomon was helplessly watching as a pair of Mushroomon mauled Sora. Tai, Izzy, and Matt were getting beat up by some more of the Goblimon as their Digimon lay unconscious.  
  
"ENDLESS SLAP!" Penguinmon shrieked and furiously bore down an a Mushroomon that had made its way too near Jun. She was the only one of their Digimon still up and able to fight, but she couldn't possibly handle all of these Digimon on her own.  
  
"Time to die, little girl," a calm voice said from behind her.  
  
Jun whirled. A scowl hit her face as she saw who it was. "Sorcerymon! Why are you doing this? Call them off!"  
  
"Kill them," Sorcerymon simply commanded, ignoring her for a moment. To Jun's surprise, every single one of his henchmen stopped beating up on the children and hurt Digimon and exchanged looks. Sorcerymon turned his emotionless glare away to look at his henchmen, all looking at him with surprise and hesitation. "Is there a problem?"  
  
"Err...kill them, Master?" a Mushroomon asked.  
  
"Isn't that a little...much?" a Goblimon spoke up next.  
  
Jun blinked in surprise. She glanced around as she backed up until she was with her Digimon. Penguinmon was a little roughed up but in much better condition than the others were.  
  
"Are you choosing to defy me?" Sorcerymon asked in a low voice, never turning from Jun.  
  
"No! No, never Master. But...killing? Is that what we should really do?" another Mushroomon responded quickly.  
  
_They don't want to kill us! _Jun realized in shock.  
  
"Fine. If you choose to defy me, you will die as well," Sorcerymon brought his hands together. Glowing flecks of light began gathering in his palms. A strange blue light lit up around the strange orb that was forming.  
  
"CRYSTAL CLOUD!" Sorcerymon reared back and began to hurl the cloud of blue energy at the group of now terrified Digimon. Jun was moving before she knew it.  
  
"Jun! What are you doing!" Penguinmon shouted.  
  
"Jun!" she heard one of the others yell as she grabbed for Sorcerymon's hands.  
  
"Stop it!" Jun screamed and moved his hands away, deflecting the blast to another direction. The cloud blasted from his hands and erupted into a flock of trees, sending them falling all over the place.  
  
Jun stood up and backed away from Sorcerymon, glaring at him until she noticed an object sticking halfway out of his back. A black gear.  
  
"You...you saved us..." a stunned Goblimon said. "You actually-"  
  
"BONFIRE!" a new voice yelled.  
  
"NIGHTMARE SYNDROME!" another voice added.  
  
Suddenly, a whoosh of flames blasted through and struck Sorcerymon in the chest, sending him flailing backwards. A weird dark hole appeared and sucked the Mushroomon and Goblimon into it. Then it spat them back out onto the ground violently, draining their strength.  
  
Jun turned to find more Digimon suddenly appearing. She glanced at Penguinmon. "Who are they, Penguinmon?"  
  
"Those are Candlemon and Tapirmon. They're from Twilight Castle," Penguinmon said as she scampered up to Jun.  
  
The Candlemon were obvious due to the fact that they looked like walking candles with faces. The Tapirmon were a strange mix between small elephant-like animals with a ghost or something. They ran into the clearing, sizing in such great numbers as the Goblimon and the Mushroomon had.  
  
"Go away, Sorcerymon! We don't want you here!" a Candlemon yelled defiantly.  
  
"Everyone! Attack before they get away!" a Tapirmon called.  
  
Sorcerymon glared at Jun momentarily but stood up calmly, unscathed by the fire that had hit him. "You fools think you have defeated me? Don't count on it! I will be back!"  
  
Then with a casual wave of his hand, he and his henchmen were gone. Jun blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what just happened. She nearly jumped out of her skin as the two "lead" Candlemon and Tapirmon bounded up to her. Penguinmon let out a challenging growl and stood in front of her protectively.  
  
"Please don't be scared! We won't hurt you," the Candlemon assured.  
  
"Are you okay?" the Tapirmon asked.  
  
"You mean you're not here to kill us too?" Penguinmon inquired.  
  
"No, of course not. We saw what they were doing and we just had to help," Tapirmon replied. "They're our enemies too. Honest."  
  
"These two castles are rivals, Penguinmon?" Jun asked.  
  
"I never knew they were," Penguinmon told her.  
  
"It's a long story. We'll be happy to explain later," Tapirmon said. "Hey, are your friends okay?"  
  
Jun gasped, rebuking herself fiercely for forgetting them. She turned and made a mad dash towards where her friends were. Her heart lurched at the site. Joe and Sora were laying face down on the hard ground, groaning in pain. Mimi was holding Palmon in her lap crying. Matt was sitting with his back to a tree and had TK in his arms as the little boy cried and clutched Patamon tightly. Izzy was crawling towards Tentomon slowly. Agumon was shaking Tai's unconscious form, trying to wake him. The other Digimon were sprawled about.  
  
"Oh, my gosh..." Jun whispered. She looked at Candlemon and Tapirmon. "Please! You have to help my friends!"  
  
"They'll be cared for back at Twilight Castle," Candlemon said.  
  
"But how will you get them all back there..." Jun began to ask but cut off when she noticed the other Tapirmon and Candlemon were surrounding them in a circle. There was a bright flash and then Jun was standing in a large, eloquently decorated hall.  
  
"Wow! Is this Twilight Castle?" Penguinmon breathed from next to her.  
  
"It sure is," Candlemon answered, obviously proud. The hall was huge, decked wall to wall in a lovely white marble. A thick red carpet spread from the vast doorway down the long corridor. Two large staircases with gold banisters ran along the far walls of the hall, leading to yet another floor of elegance.  
  
"How did we get here? Wait, where are my friends?" Jun demanded.  
  
"We brought you here through a nifty teleporting trick we know. Our master taught it to us. And your friends are being cared for in the infirmary wing. This way," Tapirmon led Jun through the twisting hallways until they came upon a room with a long row of beds lined up. Her friends and their Digimon were all lying in a separate bed, being cared for by a Tapirmon or a Candlemon.  
  
Matt looked up and saw her. He got up and ran over to her. "Jun! Are you okay? Where were you?"  
  
"With them," Jun answered pointing to Tapirmon and Candlemon. "Are you guys okay?"  
  
"I am. Tai hit his head and the Tapirmon told me Sora and Joe are hurt kind of bad, but other than that, nothing too serious," Matt said.  
  
"Good," Jun sighed, relieved.  
  
"You! Get back to bed!" the Candlemon medic screeched and dragged Matt back to the bed.  
  
Jun smiled a little and scooped up Penguinmon in her arms. "Are you okay? You were so awesome out there! How did you manage to outlast the others anyway?"  
  
Penguinmon smiled. "I had more energy remember? I wasn't running from the Tyrannomon like the other Digimon so I had energy to fight."  
  
"Oh yeah..." Jun said.  
  
"You two must be hungry. Let us take you to the banquet room. Any enemy of Sorcerymon is a friend of ours," Tapirmon said warmly.  
  
"I never got to thank you by the way. My name's Jun and this is Penguinmon," Jun said as they walked.  
  
"Pleased to meet you. We saw what you did back there Jun. That must have taken a lot of guts," Candlemon remarked.  
  
"It was nothing..." Jun answered, a bit embarrassed. "Tell me...have you always been enemies with Sorcerymon and his Goblimon and Mushroomon?"  
  
The two Digimon exchanged glances. Candlemon shook his head sadly. "No. Our two Castles were actually friends once. That is when Master Wizardmon was still around."  
  
Jun was about to ask who that was when they came upon a large gold-framed painting of a Digimon that looked identical to Sorcerymon but had on a black cape and hat instead. Under it was inscribed on a plaque: Master Wizardmon of Twilight Castle.  
  
"That's your Master Wizardmon?" Jun asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"He left a few years ago. He felt his existence had no purpose so he left in order to find it."  
  
"And he was once a friend to Sorcerymon?"  
  
"They were the best of friends actually," Candlemon said and they began walking again. "You see, there are two Castles: Twilight Castle and Lunastar Castle. Master Wizardmon is the Master of this castle-Twilight Castle- and Sorcerymon is the Master of Lunastar Castle. We serve Master Wizardmon as the Goblimon and Mushroomon serve Sorcerymon."  
  
"You said you were once friends...what happened?"  
  
Tapirmon looked grim as he spoke. "None of us know. Before Master Wizardmon left for his journey, he asked Sorcerymon to watch over Twilight Castle for him in his absence. He was a great Master as our own had been. There was peace and nothing happened, but then one day Sorcerymon just started attacking our Castle. The Goblimon and Mushroomon had to attack under his order because they were pledged to serve him so they do whatever he wants even if they didn't want to. All we've been able to do is hide from them."  
  
Jun was captivated by the story. Then she remembered. "Wait a second, maybe he was just acting weird because he has a black gear stuck in his back! I saw it!"  
  
They were now standing in the doorway of a large room with a long table. Heaps and heaps of foods of all kinds were stacked on the table. Penguinmon looked at Jun with pleading eyes.  
  
"Go on, "Jun said.  
  
"Yippee!" Penguinmon ran over to the table and started stuffing food into her mouth like crazy.  
  
"A black gear you say? Oh no. This is not good," Candlemon murmured thoughtfully.  
  
"Sorcerymon is a very powerful Digimon. Everyone in our Castle combined couldn't face him. Only Master Wizardmon had that power," Tapirmon put in.  
  
"Don't worry. My friends and I will help you. As soon as they're better, I'm sure they'd love to help you out. Some of our Digimon can Digivolve so I'm sure it'd help you a little," Jun told them reassuringly.  
  
After a little more chitchat, Tapirmon and Candlemon left Jun and allowed her to explore the castle if she wished. Penguinmon had practically eaten up everything on the long table and was contently lying in Jun's arms like a baby. Jun stood for a long time in front of Wizardmon's painting, thinking about what she had been told.  
  
"What are you thinking about Jun?" Penguinmon asked.  
  
"I was just wondering."  
  
"Wondering about what?"  
  
"I was wondering if we could really do anything to help them. I mean, Sorcerymon was pretty powerful and those Goblimon and Mushroomon seem very loyal to him."  
  
"He's being controlled by a black gear. I'm sure we could get it off without hurting him too badly."  
  
Jun shook her head, and smiled. "Listen to me. I sound like Joe. You're right, Penguinmon. I know we can do it. You want to go see the others?"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
Jun retraced her steps until she got back to the infirmary wing. She peeked inside to find that Tai had woken up and was sitting up in his bed. The others were all asleep. She was relieved to see him smile as she walked up to his bed.  
  
"How do you feel, Tai?" Jun whispered, noting a white bandage replacing his goggles and headband around his head.  
  
"My head hurts," Tai replied just as softly. "I'm okay other than that."  
  
"I was talking to Candlemon and-" Jun was cut off by a sudden explosion somewhere. Jun grabbed onto a chair to keep her balance. The violence of the explosion sent tremors running through the entire castle and woke everyone up in the infirmary.  
  
"Whoa! What's going on?" Joe asked immediately.  
  
"Just five more minutes mommy," Agumon mumbled sleepily.  
  
"What was that?" TK wailed.  
  
"Oh no! Now what?" Sora cried.  
  
Candlemon and Tapirmon suddenly came running in as another explosion could be heard and felt immediately. Jun kept her grasp on the chair and looked at them. "What's going on?"  
  
"It's Sorcerymon and his court! They're bombarding the Castle!" Tapirmon shouted.  
  
"How can you hold him off?" Jun asked.  
  
"We can cast a magic shield but it takes all of us to do it and it takes some time!" Candlemon answered.  
  
Jun thought quickly. "Okay! Here's the plan. Penguinmon and I will go distract them. You get all of Twilight Castle together and cast it, okay?"  
  
"Jun! That's way too dangerous!" Tai protested.  
  
"He's right. We can't ask you to risk your lives for us," Candlemon agreed.  
  
"You're not. And is there really any other way?" Jun said. No one could reply. She glanced down at Penguinmon. "I can't make you go but..."  
  
"Why are you even asking? Lets do it!" Penguinmon cheered as she climbed onto Jun's shoulder.  
  
"Be careful," Tai advised.  
  
Jun nodded and took off. She ran until she got outside. Sure enough, hundreds, maybe even thousands of Goblimon and Mushroomon were attacking the Castle. Jun was amazed by how many there were. They were everywhere! It struck her odd how none of them looked like they really wanted to be attacking the castle.  
  
She scanned the sky and found Sorcerymon calmly levitating, watching the destruction emotionlessly. Jun ran forward and waved her arms wildly in the air. "Hey! You! Mr. Jerk! Come and get me!"  
  
"Ignore her," Sorcerymon seemed determined to destroy the castle.  
  
Jun got another idea. "Fine! Run! You're a coward anyway! I knew I'd only find a good challenge if I faced a Digimon powerful like Wizardmon. Not some loser like you!"  
  
At this Sorcerymon glared down at her. "Are you calling me weak?"  
  
Penguinmon gave Jun a quick, nervous glance. Jun swallowed her fear and replied arrogantly. "If you can't even face us, I guess you are!"  
  
"I will show you power! I am better than Wizardmon! CRYSTAL CLOUD!"  
  
The glowing ball came flying down right at Jun. She and Penguinmon scrambled to move. Jun felt the ground tremble beneath her and pieces of dirt hit her. Jun and Penguinmon kept moving, slowly leading Sorcerymon away from Twilight Castle.  
  
"It's working!" Jun breathed and jumped away as another Crystal Cloud destroyed the ground.  
  
"Oh no! Jun! Look!" Penguinmon cried. The Goblimon and the Mushroomon were coming their way!  
  
"Come on Penguinmon! Hurry!" Jun hollered and took off. She ran as fast as she could. Then they came upon a bridge over a high canyon. As Jun and Penguinmon ran across it, Jun's foot became stuck and she stumbled momentarily.  
  
Unfortunately, the distraction cost her. Sorcerymon aimed..."CRYSTAL CLOUD!"  
  
The bridge splintered and Jun could feel herself falling. She screamed in panic and instinctively reached out to grab something, but there was nothing there to do so.  
  
"JUN!" Penguinmon yelled. Jun looked at her Digimon and watched as a weird light suddenly surrounded her. On her belt, the Digivice started beeping rapidly. The light became incredibly bright.  
  
"Penguinmon digivolve to...Sabirdramon!"  
  
"Wow...Sabirdramon?" Jun said, eyes wide.  
  
Sabirdramon looked almost identical to Sora's Birdramon. Only Sabirdramon was bigger and a jet-black color instead of a light brown. She opened her wings and flapped them, sending a tremendous gust of wind into the narrow canyon. Then she swooped under and flew up, Jun landing safely on her back.  
  
"Sabirdramon!" Jun cried excitedly.  
  
Sabirdramon grinned back at her. "Hang on."  
  
The large black bird Digimon flapped her powerful wings. They burst into the air. There was an audible gasp from all of the Goblimon and Mushroomon as they gazed up at the newcomer.  
  
"Sabirdramon, don't hurt them Just scare them a little. They're just fighting us because Sorcerymon is making them," Jun said.  
  
"I'll try my best," Sabirdramon replied and flew up high in the sky. Jun felt her stiffen underneath her. Sabirdramon's massive eyes narrowed and she jerked her head back sharply, her beak opening.  
  
"DARK SABER!" A black beam crackling with fizzles of blue electricity blasted out of her mouth. It ripped into the ground just in front of the Goblimon and Mushroomon. The startled Digimon stumbled back and screamed in surprise. As the dust cleared, Jun saw the stunned looks they were receiving from Sorcerymon's court.  
  
"Nice attack," Jun whispered.  
  
"Thank you," Sabirdramon replied and glided gracefully through the air.  
  
Jun looked up at Twilight Castle. A translucent blue shield had been erected around it. The Tapirmon and Candlemon were surrounding it in a large circle. Sorcerymon was attacking the shield.  
  
"Oh no! We've got to help them!" Jun said.  
  
"Wait! Let us help too!" Jun looked down and was surprised to find the Goblimon and Mushroomon looking up at her.  
  
"Why would you want to help us?" Jun demanded, still not forgiving them for hurting her friends.  
  
"Because something is deeply wrong with our Master Sorcerymon. He is not the master we serve," Mushroomon said.  
  
"You would turn against him?" Sabirdramon asked.  
  
"If it would get our master back, we would be willing to help you. Please. We don't want to do this anymore. The Candlemon and Tapirmon are our friends. Let us help," Goblimon pleaded.  
  
"Jun?" Sabirdramon inquired.  
  
"Fine. You can help. Come on!" Jun decided. "Lets go Sabirdramon! Stop Sorcerymon!"  
  
Sabirdramon shot through the air towards Sorcerymon. He whirled when he saw them. "CRYSTAL CLOUD!"  
  
Sabirdramon folded her wings and spun, avoiding the blast and the one next. Then she flew directly vertical, unfurling her wings as she moved out of a spin. "DARK SABER!"  
  
Sorcerymon leaped aside. Sabirdramon's attack hit the shield and caused it to fizzle out. "CRYSTAL CLOUD!"  
  
"DARK SABER!" The two attacks met mid air and exploded.  
  
Jun flinched and clung onto Sabirdramon tighter. The two opponents circled each other. Suddenly, Sorcerymon aimed at Twilight Castle...  
  
"GOBLIN BOMB!"  
  
"POISON SMASH!"  
  
"Argggg!" Sorcerymon screamed as the attacks hit him. He furiously glared down at the Goblimon and Mushroomon as they defended the helpless Candlemon and Tapirmon. "You do defy me. You..." He turned his back on Jun and Sabirdramon. Energy began gathering in his hands. "WILL DIE!!!"  
  
"Now Sabirdramon!" Jun screamed.  
  
"DARK SABER!"  
  
Sorcerymon screamed in pain. The beam hit him directly in the back. He convulsed violently. Then he went limp and began plummeting to the ground. The black gear remained floating. It rotated slowly and then burst into a million pieces.  
  
"Alright! You did it Sabirdramon!" Jun cheered.  
  
"We did it," Sabirdramon replied and then began gliding towards the ground.   
  
"MASTER!" Sorcerymon was slumped against his students as they held him up.  
  
"Uhh...what's going on? What are we doing here?" He groaned.  
  
"Master! You're okay!" Mushroomon exclaimed happily.  
  
"Why shouldn't I be? What happened anyway?" Sorcerymon asked, looking very confused.  
  
"You had a black gear stuck in your back, Master. We're so very glad you're okay!" Goblimon said.  
  
"A black gear? What happened to it?" Sorcerymon asked.  
  
"We took care of it!" Jun answered as Sabirdramon landed. Just then, Tai and the other kids and their Digimon came running up to them.  
  
"Jun! Awesome job! Whoa! Who's that?" Tai said. They marveled at the large black Digimon.  
  
"That looks like Birdramon almost," Sora remarked.  
  
"Everyone! Meet Sabirdramon," Jun announced proudly as she hopped off. Sabirdramon began glowing again and then reverted back to Penguinmon. Jun picked her up and hugged her. "You totally rule, Penguinmon!"  
  
"Great," Penguinmon snorted.  
  
"Huh? What's wrong?" Jun asked.  
  
"I'm hungry again!" Penguinmon pouted.  
  
Jun just stared at her Digimon and sighed. "Oh no..."  
  
Then everyone burst out laughing. Jun hugged Penguinmon closer to her. The Digimon affectionately snuggled against her.  
  
"I must thank you for saving me," Sorcerymon said. "How about this. I'll throw a banquet for all of you."  
  
"Even us?" Tapirmon and Candlemon asked in unison.  
  
"Of course," Sorcerymon answered, smiling. "All is welcome!"  
  
  
After a wonderful feast, the kids and their Digimon stood in front of Lunastar Castle, saying their last good byes to Sorcerymon and the others.  
  
"Thanks for the food," Tai said, shaking Sorcerymon's hand.  
  
"My pleasure. Please feel free to come by whenever you are in the neighborhood," Sorcerymon said warmly.  
  
"So are you going to watch over both castles again?" Agumon asked.  
  
"Yes. Until my good friend Wizardmon returns, I'll keep my promise and watch over his castle as well," Sorcerymon answered.  
  
"If we see him, we'll tell him you're all waiting for him to return," Penguinmon said.  
  
Sorcerymon smiled. "Thank you again. And good luck to you wherever you're going."  
  
"Thanks. Good bye," Jun said.  
  
As they walked away, Tai gave Jun a sly look, warning her that he was about to tease. "So, tell me Ms. Motomiya. How does it feel to have your very own Champion Digimon?"  
  
Jun smiled and leaned until she was right in his face. "It feels..." Jun reached up and yanked his goggles off his head, "absolutely awesome!"  
  
"Hey!" Tai yelled as she took off. He gave chase. "Give me back my goggles!"  
  
"Ha! Ha! Come get them!" Jun yelled and sprinted away.  
  
"Oh boy. This is going to take a while," Sora groaned. Everyone laughed a little and then started running after Jun and Tai, ready for more adventure.  
  
  
A/N: Chapter five is in the works if anyone is curious. I need to find a reliable Digimon encyclopedia, though. Anybody know of any? I used to use Megchan's awesome site but that's been shut down. L R/R!


	5. And Carrying On

****

A Digital Destiny

A/N: Wow, it's been a while. The style of writing has probably changed a little due to the length of time I've had this fic on hiatus. Growing up does things to people, I guess. Still, I hope it doesn't disappoint. Enjoy.

Chapter Five: And Carrying On…

Not for the first time, Jun wondered how long exactly had she and her friends been in the DigiWorld. Days? Weeks? Months? She'd lost track. In any case, time seemed to fly by as she and the others fought Digimon after Digimon in their attempt to get home. Privately, she wondered if she was the only who found herself having fun even if they were in constant danger. How many kids ever got the chance to experience something like this?

It'd been exactly two weeks now since they'd left Twilight Castle and Lunastar Castle. Jun was still reeling from Penguinmon's awesome transformation to Sabirdramon. But that hadn't been the only time Penguinmon had been forced to digivolve to fight--and it certainly wouldn't be the last. A lot had happened in those measly fourteen days (fourteen by Jun's count anyway).

First off, Palmon had digivolved to Togemon to face down Monzaemon in the colorful, appropriately named Toy Town when they'd stumbled upon him. After that, Jun and the others had made it to Infinity Mountain where Gomamon digivolved to Ikkakumon to fight the crazed, black-gear possessed Unimon. They'd assessed that the island they were on was called File Island, at least.

Now the children and their Digimon were in the process of climbing the trail up Infinity Mountain, searching for something…_anything_, really.

"OH! No more! I'm tired of walking!" Mimi wailed suddenly after a few hours of hiking. She threw her hands up and stubbornly plopped to the ground. "My feet hurt!"

Joe dramatically felt his forehead. "I think I'm going to come down with something after all this walking in the sun."

"Matt, Patamon's tired too!" little TK piped up worriedly to his brother, his Digimon lying limply in his arms.

Jun wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and glanced over at Tai. "We have been walking all day…"

"And getting no where," Sora added with a light frown.

The children's unofficial leader, Tai Kamiya, took one glance at his exhausted Digimon partner Agumon, who was slumped against Biyomon on the ground and nodded at them. "Yeah. Let's take a break. It's not like we were making progress anyway."

They quickly situated themselves under the meager shade the overhanging cliffs offered. Jun found Izzy sitting near the base of a boulder engrossed in his laptop, typing away. Curious, she peeked over his shoulder. "Izzy, what are you doing?"

Izzy jumped. He turned to look at Jun quickly as if realizing for the first time that she was there. "Huh? Oh, I'm compiling all the data I've picked up from the time we've been in the Digital World up to now."

"Why?"

"So I can maybe make a map. Not a very detailed one, mind you, but a basic layout of File Island in general," Izzy told her as he typed something in. On the screen, a plot of land appeared with several icons dotted on it. Izzy pointed to it, "See? That's File Island. That big triangle there is Infinity Mountain--which is where we are currently as you can see by that blinking digivice icon."

He continued pointing out various symbols that represented other places they'd been. A teddy bear for Toy Town. There were two little wizard-like icons side by side that were for Lunastar Castle and Twilight Castle. At the bottom there was even a legend for the various others. Impressed, Jun blinked and remarked, "Wow. That's pretty cool."

"And a really good idea," Matt said. Jun was surprised to find that he'd joined them without her even noticing. "It might come in handy."

"Yeah," Jun agreed. She looked over when Penguinmon came waddling up to her.

"Jun, we have a problem," the Digimon stated. She pointed one clawed flipper to Joe. "Joe says we're out of food."

"And everyone is starving!" Tentomon added despairingly.

"That's not good," Jun said. She made her way over to where Joe was hastily digging through his bag. Tai and Sora hovered by.

"Well?" Tai asked Joe impatiently. The older boy came out empty-handed.

"I told you, we're completely out…unless you like stale, three day old crumbs," Joe answered, turning his back upside down to accentuate what he was saying. The kids groaned.

"Great! Like things couldn't get any worse!" Tai exclaimed.

"Uh…Tai?" Joe spoke up hesitantly. He held the container they'd been using to hold water up and turned it upside down. Empty. "We're out of water too."

That was met by a collective groan.

"Great. Now what? We're no where near any water sources and we can't eat rocks," Sora grumbled kicking a small pebble in her frustration.

Jun cautiously scuttled to the side of the path and scanned the massive expanse surrounding them far below. Her heart sunk. They were stuck on the side of a mountain with no food. Even if the Digimon could forage and find food where would they do that on the bare rock of the mountain? Sighing, she turned and was about to volunteer herself and Sabirdramon to fly down and dredge up some food and water for them when a flash of white in her peripheral vision caught her attention.

"What…" She whirled and was surprised to find that further up the path, a figure clad in a plain white hooded robe stood silently, watching them. The hood cast over the head blocked Jun's view of seeing the figure's face. What startled her was that the figure looked very human. Before she could call out to the person, the figure suddenly pivoted and began walking up the path and away.

"Hey! Wait!" Jun yelled and took off after the person. Behind her, she heard the others call after her. They were probably going to follow her anyway so she didn't spare any time in stopping to explain.

"Jun! What are you doing?" Tai demanded in a puzzled voice.

At least Penguinmon was still by her side, running as quickly as she could to stay in beat with Jun's mad dash. They were gaining on the person. Jun could see the white robe whipping back and forth in the wind. To her surprise, the figure was standing perfectly still again once Jun and Penguinmon had made it halfway up the slope. He or she was now facing them again, regarding them through hidden eyes.

"Jun…Jun Motomiya…"

A chill ran down Jun's spine at the soft, husky voice that suddenly filled her head. But before she could react, the figure was turning again and now _running_ away from them. They were running and running FAST.

"What's the rush?!" Penguinmon cried at the fleeing figure as they struggled to climb the rugged mountain path after it.

"Wait!" Gasped Jun. "We're not going to hurt you!"

"Don't be so sure of that. Honestly, making us RUN up this mountain…" Jun heard Penguinmon mutter darkly.

It was like a demented game of cat and mouse. It quickly became apparent to Jun that the figure wanted them to follow as he or she would stop and wait a few times before running away again. Of course, as Jun and Penguinmon were no mountain climbers, it was hard to keep up. Finally, there was a point when the path twisted off to a dead end where the figure now stood waiting.

Jun and her Digimon stumbled clumsily into the small, circular clearing, the rocks of Mount Infinity looming around them. The figure quietly watched as they gasped for air.

"Hey…stop…" Jun choked out. The person was patient, silent. Once Jun had regained her breath enough, she spoke, "Who are you?"

Again, the robed figure did not answer. Instead, he or she turned and began walking…directly into the rock wall and disappearing right before Jun's eyes. Least to say, Jun was shocked.

"B-but what-" Jun stammered uncomprehendingly. "Did he just _walk_ into the wall?"

Penguinmon edged forward and sniffed suspiciously at the place where the figure had disappeared. Then, she reared back and smiled. "No. It's not a real wall. See?"

The Digimon lifted a clawed wing and place it right through the wall, waving it around to prove her point. The image of gray rock and stone did not waver one bit.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jun murmured as she experimentally stuck her hand through the holographic wall. Her hand encountered nothing. "Think it's safe to go in?"

"I don't know," her Digimon partner replied, "but it did seem like he wanted us to follow him."

"It could be a trap of some sort. Things like that seem to happen a lot around here," Jun wryly stated. "What do you think is in there?"

Penguinmon titled her head at the mock wall. "A cave maybe? I've heard that there are secret tunnels in Mount Infinity. They were left from the ancient days of the First Reconstruction of the Digital World."

"The what?"

"The First-"

"HEY JUN!!"

They whirled to see the others stumbling into the small clearing in which they were standing. Jun winced guiltily. She had forgotten all about them and it seemed that they had taken to running up the impossible slopes of the mountain as well.

Tai, gasping desperately for air, was glaring at her disapprovingly. "Mind…telling…us…what…that was…all…about?!"

So she did. She recounted for them the sighting of the mysterious figure and how she and Penguinmon chased them up the mountain. She pointed to the mock wall and added the bit about the person disappearing inside. She even told them about hearing the odd voice that said her name, but that was where she was surprised.

"Wait, you heard a voice say your name?" Penguinmon asked. "When?"

Jun looked down at her and frowned. "When we were chasing them. You were standing right next to me."

Penguinmon stared at her.

"You did hear it…didn't you?"

"Maybe he's telepathic," Joe's wobbly, anxious voice suggested. "Oh my, that can't be good. He could standing nearby reading our thoughts right now!" He put his hands over his head and glanced around apprehensively, eyes fearful.

I don't think it was a HE. Jun thought but decided not to say anything. By the way Penguinmon was looking at her, it didn't seem that even in the Digital World, hearing voices in one's head was not a good thing. Especially coming from strange, cloaked figures.

"So you said this really isn't a wall? It's holographic? Fascinating…" Izzy chimed up as he ran his hand through the mock wall.

"Should we go inside?" Sora asked sensibly.

"What? There could be icky monsters on the other side waiting for us to step in and gobble us up!" Mimi shrieked. "There is NO WAY I'm going in there!"

"I say we go check it out! There could be food or water in there!" TK piped up.

"In a cave? Come on, TK. And there is no way I'm letting you go in there," big brother Matt automatically replied.

"Well, standing around out here isn't getting us anywhere," Tai said at last. The others turned to face him as he paced in front of the mock wall and stared at it. It wasn't hard to see why he'd gained the unspoken title of leader among them. "I say we go in."

Immediately, the arguments started up again.

"NO! NO! NO! I hate walking around in caves! They're so dark and scary!" Mimi burst into tears and Palmon quickly moved in to comfort her.

"We don't even know what's in there!" Joe shouted.

"I wanna' go too!"

"No way, TK!"

"But Matt-"

"TK, it could be dangerous! You're not going in there."

"It's a good opportunity to explore this region more," Izzy was already adding the data about the cave's location to his laptop.

"In a cave? Give me a break, Izzy," Sora said.

"How do we KNOW that it's a cave, though?" retorted the computer genius.

"We certainly won't by standing around here arguing all day," Jun said. She glanced over to where Tai and Agumon stood apart from the group, examining the wall.

"What do you think Agumon?" Tai asked his Digimon partner.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to take a peek," Agumon answered.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about, buddy! Now if only we can get the others to agree…"

Jun joined them. "Who says we have to?"

"Huh?"

"Look. It doesn't look like we'll be getting anywhere soon by standing around here. I want to see what's inside. If the others don't want to go, why not just let them stay out here and wait?" She said logically to him.

Tai thought about this for a moment. "You know, Jun. That's not a bad idea." He waved to get the others' attention. "Hey guys! How about this? We'll split up. A few of us can go inside and take a look around while the rest stay out here just in case something goes wrong."

"Something goes wrong? What if you don't come out?" Sora demanded.

"Then someone can come in and get us," Tai said, which didn't seem to help any.

"You'd also have the satisfaction of saying 'I told you so'," Jun quipped.

It took a little convincing but in the end, they prevailed. Tai, Jun, and Izzy would go in while the rest of them waited outside. The three of them and their Digimon faced the wall hesitantly and, at the same time, stepped through it. It was a tunnel, plain and simple. It stretched far ahead in front of them and into more darkness.

"Let me put a little light on the situation," Tentomon said, wings buzzing as he hovered beside Izzy. Jun heard a static-like sound come from his direction. Small sparks of electricity crackled from his wings and a faint glow of light then emerged from him, just enough for them to see better in the gloomy tunnel.

"Ah, prodigious! Thanks Tentomon," Izzy commented.

"Okay, come on, you two. Let's be careful, though. If there is something in here waiting to gobble us up, I'd rather not give it an advantage," Tai said and pressed forward.

Luckily, no such monster was present. The tunnel, however, was another story. Though it was not long, after a good while of walking, it felt to Jun as if they were getting no where. Despite the odd noise they heard that sounded strangely like gears turning somewhere nearby, there seemed to be no danger. It was starting to feel disappointing, really. But then--

"Hey, what's that ahead?" Penguinmon said suddenly. They stopped and peered forward. Tentomon graciously added more juice to his wings, and the halo of light extended slightly farther out before them. The tunnel stopped and spread out into another small, circular opening.

Jun gasped. In the opening, the hooded figure was waiting. "That's him!"

"You there!" Tai called. "Who are you?"

No reply. Instead, the person whirled silently and began walking away, right towards the wall.

"Oh not again! Come back here!" Jun darted forward, hearing the boys and the Digimon right behind her. They charged after the figure into the clearing. But suddenly, he just stopped moving. Then he turned back around to face them, startling them into a halt.

Then Jun heard the same husky, chilling voice again, this time not like a whisper in her head but magnified to echo in the cavern they now stood in.

"Going down?"

And the floor disappeared under them.

I told you so!! A wry voice in Jun's head said as she felt herself plummet down through the dark nothingness. _Funny how it sounded like Matt when I thought it'd be more like something Joe would say…_

A/N: As always, I'd love to hear feedback. Constructive criticism, ranting, raving, I love them all. Let me hear your honest thoughts, people.


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